


365 Days

by sunnyamazing



Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018)
Genre: A ball - twice, Dancing, David is distracting, F/M, New Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:14:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21871387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnyamazing/pseuds/sunnyamazing
Summary: Julia and David.The Black and White New Year Ball; twice.Together. But not publicly.And then making their announcement to the world.Julia and a bowl of fruit ... David and his attempt at distraction.Oh, how life can change in a year.Part of the LavenderBudd Fic Exchange.
Relationships: David Budd/Julia Montague
Comments: 16
Kudos: 105
Collections: LavenderBudd Fic Exchange





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> David and Julia dancing, jealousy and a grand entrance; were the requests for this fic. Now, not all of them are in this first part but by the end; I will have covered them all. 
> 
> There is also a little detour in the middle here, remember our twitter conversation Candi?? About a leaf??
> 
> Thanks to Ally for being my sounding board and for letting me bounce ALL of my ideas off of her.

She adjusted the back of her curls with her left hand, tucking her hair underneath her black fascinator. She gently wound one long strand of hair around her finger as she brushed it from her forehead. She stared out into the crowd of people gathered in the hall; all dressed in various combinations of black and white. 

Sounds of laughter and loud conversation reverberated around the wood panelling of the walls around her. They were painted a pale shade of green, she thought it apt as this was the ‘green room’ where she and the other members of her party were waiting to be announced to the rest of the guests. She could just hear the voice of the master of ceremonies, who had encouraged the gathered guests into a rupture of laughter and applause. She rolls her eyes at the joke he has just told. No, this particular emcee, she does not care for. He’s one of John’s closest friends, and that immediately makes him hold a strong dislike for her. She remembers the disdain with which she was announced to the crowd last year. Luckily for her, the feeling is mutual.

She brushes the bodice of her gown as she stares out into the room. She stands off to the side in the large space, her colleagues all around her. Some of them are feeling more festive than others, thanks to the copious amounts of free alcohol they have already consumed this evening. She herself has only had a single glass of white wine, sipped slowly at the private bar, whilst pretending to listen to what Rob had gotten up to for his Christmas holiday. She had been pleased when Tom had come to interrupt and advised her they were calling for all of them to assemble in the hall for the official introductions of the evening. 

She taps the tip of her black stiletto heel on the wooden floor below her and she begins to spin the lone freshwater pearl set in yellow gold ring around her right ring finger. Catching her action, she slips the ring up and down her finger, staring down at it and smiling. It was the Christmas present he had given to her. He’d presented it to her proudly on Christmas Eve and she had barely taken it off since. 

She slips her sleeve of her gown up so she is able to check her watch as her foot continues to click beneath her, a nervous habit she had developed over the years, a way of grounding her to the moment, instead of letting her thoughts wander away from her. 

She knew that he knew what time he was meant to be here and as her watch ticked quarter past; she couldn’t help but wonder where he had ended up. And more importantly, if he was alright. With a recent change in his job title, she has had to get used to him not being by her side every moment and it has certainly been a period of adjustment for both of them. 

She slowly brushes her hands over the sleeves of her black velvet evening gown. She picks at a loose piece of dust that has settled on the cuff of her dress, flicking it into the room absentmindedly. 

“No sign of the hired help then?” Roger’s voice annoyingly pipes up behind her.

She turns to look at her ex-husband as he steps closer to her. He’s busy adjusting his tie and she has to hold back the urge to grab hold of it and wrap it tightly around his throat. He takes another step closer and she has to bite back a laugh; he smells as if he has bathed himself in aftershave. She unfortunately recognises the scent; as the one he used to wear for ‘important business.’ They’ve been divorced for years, but it seems he still has the same habits, and honestly, she’s not at all surprised. 

“You haven’t answered my question, Jules,” Roger jeers as he moves in closer still, his aftershave now permeating her nostrils and making her feel like she wants to throw up all over his overpriced shoes. “Have you bored him already?” He questions as he smiles sickly over her shoulder to where Julia knows his date for the evening is standing. He gives her a little wave. Julia had met her earlier in the evening; A legal secretary, the redhead seemed to have more brains than Roger’s usual dates. But this was not any ordinary date, the Conservative Party Annual Black and White New Year Ball was known in their circles as much more than a date. Not just anyone made the invite list for ‘the formal soiree of the year.’ 

She’s about to open her mouth when a voice from beside them interrupts.

“No, she hasn’t,” David responds as he appears at her side, his arm slides around her waist as his fingers delicately ghost the side of her hip. “I’m sorry love,” he whispers in her ear as he kisses her cheek softly, his shoulder pressing against hers. 

Julia has not turned to look at him yet, maintaining eye contact with Roger as the face of her ex-husband sours. 

“I thought the police force would have taught you the importance of time keeping, plod,” Roger says condescendingly toward David. “Or did you forget that at the same time you forgot what your actual job was?” 

Julia feels rage begin to burn low in her stomach. She’s never liked Roger’s dismissive attitude of David, and she hadn’t cared for it the first time he’d referred to him as ‘plod.’ David is anything but the insult, proven again recently with his promotion to Detective Inspector and his current secondment to Counter Terrorism Command. He is still standing beside her and she cannot see his face, but she can sense the change in David’s behaviour and she feels his body tense next to hers. 

“Today,” David begins as he releases his arm from Julia’s waist and steps closer to Roger, his voice low. “I had to arrest a man who decided the fireworks on London Bridge wouldn’t have been enough of an event for tonight.” Roger falters and blinks. “So,” David continues, “don’t you dare accuse me of not knowing what my job is. It keeps people like you safe, so that you can bring your latest bit of skirt to this event.” 

“Roger,” the voice of his date coos softly. “Do you know when we are to be seated?” She asks as she sidles up beside the three of them, interlocking her arm in Roger’s. “I am …” she begins to say something but she is distracted and Julia immediately knows what … or more like whom has distracted her. 

Julia watches as the woman eyes David hungrily. “Stephanie,” the woman manages to say by way of introduction, smiling at David sickeningly. “My name is Stephanie.” Julia watches as David nods politely and she takes a step closer to him as she observes Stephanie’s eyes rove over the frame of her boyfriend. A little, or perhaps not so little, pang of possession mixed with jealousy engulfs her. Julia had liked this woman, on their first meeting a half hour earlier. But now as she is staring David down as if he is the main course, Julia has to restrain herself from making a comment she might later regret. Stephanie tries to remove her arm from the crook of Roger’s elbow, however he has latched on, like the limpet he is. Julia observes Stephanie carefully. She could have Roger, but David, he was an entirely different proposition and he was all hers; especially when he looked like he did this evening. 

Roger turns to his date. “Just a few moments, sweetheart,” he responds as he pats the woman on her arm, trying to regain her attention. He fails miserably and Julia manages to hold in a laugh. She watches as his brow furrows, realising that he has lost this round of conversation between the three of them. “Julia. David.” He says curtly and then he turns away from them, tugging the still staring Stephanie with him. 

As David turns back to face Julia, he smiles at her softly. “I am sorry,” he whispers and she nods slowly as she reaches up to brush a loose grey curl from his forehead. She twirls the strand of hair around her index finger and then tucks it back in to the rest of the darker strands, running her finger down the side of his hairline. 

She steps back then and stares at him carefully. He is dressed in all black, except for the white bow tie. His jacket is tailored to perfection and hugs his lean, muscular body in all the right places. Honestly, she’s not surprised that Roger’s date couldn’t take her eyes off him. He blinks at her, his deep blue eyes regarding her softly. It’s then that she notices the slight sheen of sweat adorning his forehead. “Why are you all sweaty?” she asks him with a curl of her top lip.

He smirks as he fiddles with his bow tie. “I had to get dressed in the car.” 

Julia shakes her head and tries not to laugh, his bow tie is now completely crooked. “You got changed while driving?” she asks, as she watches him move the bow tie one last time, reaching out her hands to help him straighten it until it sits perfectly.

David laughs, the sound of his melodic laughter filling her ears. “No,” he begins, shaking his head, “Kim was driving, I was in the back. She did promise not to look. But she may have whistled.” 

Julia smiles before she lets out a low whistle of her own. “I can’t say I blame her,” she tells him as she steps forward and reaches for the lapels of his jacket, pulling him closer to her. Their lips meet, softly at first, mindful of the present company and then she nips at his bottom lip with her teeth. “That’s for being late.” She growls under her breath at him. 

“I’ll make it up to you later.” David promises, as he moves his lips to her earlobe, one hand running up the back of her open backed dress. “How long does this thing go for anyway?”

Julia rolls her eyes. She knows she’s told him at least four times how long they are expected to be here and besides that, they’d both been in attendance last year, too, despite different circumstances. “Well at least until midnight,” She reminds him and David huffs as his fingers tickle near her collarbone. “We only have a few more minutes until we are presented though,” Julia adds as she notices everyone else begin to line up at the exit. 

“You look beautiful.” David whispers as she reaches for his hand, interlocking their fingers and pulling him to their assigned place in line. 

“Thank you,” she tells him. “I didn’t get dressed in a car,” she says sarcastically. “This,” she begins, gesturing to her appearance, starting at her black netting fascinator and ending with her stilettos, “took hours.” 

David chuckles again and Julia watches as his eyes darken, before he leans down to whisper in her ear, his voice as calm as if he was reading the phone book. “I can promise that by the end of the night, you will be undressed in seconds.” 

His voice stops her dead in her tracks, an undeniable feeling of heat spreading throughout her body, “evil,” she mutters under her breath, “you, David Budd are evil.” 

-x-x-x-

A few moments later, in the darkness of the long corridor just outside the green room, Julia squeezes David’s hand and as he turns to look at her, he smiles reassuringly. She can just make out his handsome features in the dimly lit hallway. She feels a sense of calm wash over her. 

“Are you sure you are ready for this?” She asks carefully, giving him one last chance to not be a part of this New Year’s Eve circus. The whole world knows of their relationship now, after seeing it splashed across the covers of tabloids and rumor mill magazines, but this step is a big one. Their first public appearance as a couple and in front of the entire party and their guests. 

He raises one of his eyebrows and she knows he has no intention of shying away from what they are about to do. “We promised,” he reminds her. 

She nods calmly as the couple in front of them are announced to the waiting crowd, “we promised to not be like last year.” 

“Not like last year.” David repeats and nods back toward her.

Julia reaches out with her hand not intertwined with his and runs her fingers over the white bow tie. 

“I can’t remember the last time I wore a tie like this,” he admits as they stand in the wings of the stage. “I feel a bit like a penguin.” 

Julia smirks and shakes her head in protest. “Well I like it. You can keep it,” she tells him as she presses her lips to his quickly. 

He squeezes her fingers. “For you, ma’am, I just might,” he says quietly just as they are announced to the room. 

_“Please welcome the Right Honourable Home Secretary Julia Montague and her partner, Detective Inspector David Budd.”_

She turns, narrows her eyes and wrinkles her nose at him and he immediately knows he will pay for that comment later. He gives her one slow wink. If he is going to be in trouble, then he might as well hold nothing back. She smirks and with one last squeeze of his hand she slowly takes one step out into the light of the ballroom. 

The gathered crowd claps politely as the two of them stride confidently across the stage together, hand in hand. 

Julia smiles happily. This is definitely not last year.

**One year and six weeks earlier …**

They both lay underneath the sheets; pale blue ones, this time. It is a cold Saturday morning. He spent the night, of course. After he had seen her back to the flat after a long Friday at the Home Office, he left so as not to raise suspicions. Returning one hour later as her guard changed over, their routine is now perfected. He has become quite the expert at sneaking in and out of her flat. Although he’s quite sure one of Julia’s elderly neighbours has worked out what is going on. He’d passed her in the street early one morning last week and she had given him a pointed look. 

The sheets flutter above their heads and she wiggles herself closer to him. One of her legs rests over his hip and she gently traces the length of his back, her fingernails delicately tracing the mottled skin. He smiles at her before he leans in to place a soft kiss on his lips. “Good morning,” she whispers as his lips leave hers. 

“Morning,” he mumbles back as he reaches out for her cheek with his thumb. “You have paint on your face,” he adds, as he attempts to brush the green paint from under her eye and on one of her cheeks. 

She wrinkles her nose. “And I wonder whose fault that is …” she accuses. 

_She had been busy when he had returned last night. He found her standing in the middle of her living room, barefoot, hair tied back from her face and in one of his t-shirts she had claimed as her own and a pair of shorts he would never have thought a Home Secretary would ever wear. But in the six months they’d been dating, he’d realised that Julia Montague owned a whole wardrobe of clothes he’d never imagined her wearing. Not everything she owned was made of cashmere and linen and suitable for her constituents. Luckily for him though, he was the one who got to see it all._

_She had been tapping her foot to the soft sounds of a song that he partially recognised. She was also humming to herself every few beats. He stood there for a moment watching her, as she shuffled to the song. One hand held a glass of white wine and the other a paintbrush and just in front of her was her makeshift easel._ _It_ _balanced precariously on one not broken leg and on one large criminal law book. The easel had become a casualty last week to him chasing her around the room late one evening after a particularly interesting day._

 _There is a canvas attached to the easel,_ _showing off_ _a half finished rendering of a bowl of fruit. Her subject matter is in the middle of her dining table, a blue bowl with a gold trim containing a base of fig leaves which have spilt out over the sides and an arrangement of apples, oranges and one pineapple placed precariously on top. He smiles as he realises she has finally finished the bowl, her wine now on the small table beside her and he watches as she delicately runs the paint brush along the rim of her hand-drawn bowl._

_“You’ve finished the bowl?” he questions as he walks up behind her, slipping one of his arms around her waist, kissing the back of her neck softly._

_She nods slowly. “You’re back,” she sighed. “I didn’t hear you come in.”_

_“Aye, I am. You’ve made a lot of progress,” he complimented as he continued to nibble his way up to her earlobe toward the spot he knew never failed to make her go weak in the knees._

_“David,” she gasped, before she tilted her head to one side to escape his wandering lips._

_“Aye,” he purred._

_“You need to stop distracting me.”_

_“I’m distracting you?” David questions. “And what have you been trying to do to me all day?”_

_She smirks and turns in his arms, facing him now as she presses her lips to his. “Is it my fault that today involved a lot of walking around and you following close behind?” she reminded him as she pulled back slightly from his embrace._

_“Well, no,” David began. “But it is your fault that I knew what you are wearing on your behind_ _underneath that prim and proper suit._ _”_

_Julia chuckled to herself as she remembered getting dressed this morning. David had observed her from her bed, not needing to get ready himself, as he had the morning off for his therapy appointment. When she picked out a matching set of green and black lingerie, he wanted to pull her back into the bed immediately. She managed to escape his wandering hands and get him out of her flat just as Kim and the backup vehicle arrived to pick her up and take her to the Home Office._

_He arrived at the office just after she’d needed to give one of her assistants a lecture about making sure her meetings were double confirmed. She thought she had finally managed to find an assistant who was competent at their job... until this morning when she’d waited_ _half an hour_ _for a_ _meeting with a_ _member of the security service who had not shown up._

 _David had wandered into the office, hair sitting perfectly styled, wearing a crisp white shirt, a black and white striped tie and a black suit. He looked completely different than the David she had shoved out of her back door early this morning._ _That David had been_ _half dressed in just his blue shirt, jeans only half fastened and jacket and shoes held in his hands. His hair had been sticking up on its ends,_ _and as she pushed him through the door,_ _he had told her she would pay for this later. She laughed profusely as she watched him from the window as he was struggling with his shoes and jacket as he left the confines of Overstrand Mansions. She had still been laughing as Kim had knocked; she had taken a deep breath as she opened the door for Kim and been able to regain a modicum of control over herself. By the time she climbed into the back of the ministerial car, her giggling over David had been pushed to the side as her thoughts turned to the day ahead._

_That was until one P.S. David Budd arrived_ _in the Home Office_ _. He had taken up his usual position after farewelling Tom. She hadn’t looked at him immediately, she’d seen him from the corner of her eye and went back to the paperwork in front of her. A few minutes later as she raised her eyes from her desk,_ _her gaze met his._ _He’d been watching her, of course, and had given her the smallest of smiles through the glass window that often separated them in her work environment, before then he’d taken a sneaky look around the office making sure there were no prying eyes and he then winked at her; not once, but twice._

_So, for the rest of the day whenever she needed to walk anywhere; and as today was a day in Chambers, she’d needed to do a lot of walking, she’d been sure to wiggle her hips just that little bit more than usual._

_“You do know I need to finish this?” Julia questioned as she gestured to the canvas in front of her. “It is going to be assessed in my next class.”_

_David sighed heavily. “Which is in two weeks,” he protested as he attempted to slip one of his hands underneath the hem of his t-shirt she was wearing._

_“Two weeks is very little time in the life of the Home Secretary, David,” Julia reminded him. “And we are approaching the busiest time of the year.”_

_“So, what you are telling me is that you are still painting?”_

_Julia raised an eyebrow._

_“For now, yes, I am. You know, you could have a drink and watch me while I work,” she suggested as she gestured at her artwork in front of her. “You are very good at watching,” she purred as she leant in and nipped at his earlobe. David pulled his head back from her wandering teeth. “That’s for the winking this morning,” she explained as she watched his lips turn into a pout._

_“Fine,” David sulked. “Paint then. Do you have any of those cakes from the other night left?” he questioned as he dropped his arms from Julia’s waist, making her believe he was defeated, for now._

_“On the side, next to the fridge,” Julia answered as she turned her attention back to her painting, there was still something not quite right about it. It was missing something._

_David nodded as he stepped into the kitchen and collected the packet of cakes, he opened the_ _package_ _and slipped one into his mouth as he retrieved a bottle of his favourite beer from the door of her fridge, tucked in between her half empty bottle of wine and a jug of sparkling water. He flicked the beer open with the bottle opener on the counter and raised bottle to his lips, sipping slowly. He leant back against the wall separating the kitchen from the living room. Julia had quickly returned all of her attention to her canvas in front of her. He sighed to himself. He was jealous of an inanimate object... this was new._

_After the whole incident that was St. Matthews, Julia had decided to take up painting. Her injuries had been superficial; the bomb planted had only detonated partially and the worst injury was a large cut to one of her legs. But she needed two weeks off from work and it was then she got to thinking she really needed another hobby outside of work. She remembered how much she once loved her art classes at boarding school and from her recuperating position on her sofa, she booked herself into an intermediate painting course. David had been with Ella and Charlie for the night and he almost lost his mind when she told him what she had done. But she explained the class didn’t start for a month and he would have plenty of time to check out the security situation. Her first class had been eight weeks ago and she wondered if perhaps signing herself up for the intermediate class had been a mistake. However, she attacked her lessons and her time practicing at home with gusto, and eventually she felt as if she was achieving something._

_David took another sip of the beer as Julia dropped her paintbrush into the water next to her and moved her hand to her wine. She stepped back as she sipped and regarded her work carefully. At first, he hadn’t minded the idea of painting lessons, once he realised he would be able to secure the venue_ _well in advance_ _. After all, it meant another night of the week where he could be with her under the guise of_ _just being her personal protection officer_ _. Her classes were held in an old church hall, so of course she wasn’t able to attend alone. He loved standing in the corner watching her concentrate. The way her eyes narrowed to focus, her head tilted to the side and the way she stepped back every so often to study her work. It reminded him so much of watching her in her glass pen. But_ _thankfully,_ _no one here seemed to notice how much staring he was doing. It was just his job to watch the Home Secretary, after all._

 _No, he hadn’t minded her art classes at all. Well, not until painting fruit had become one of her latest obsessions. This week alone, he had found her with her canvas on six out of seven nights. She had started singing along to the music now, another tune he recognised but did not know the words. She had returned her glass to the table and had picked up her paintbrush once more, her eyes were narrowed and she was chewing on the end of the brush; lost in thought. Her eyes blinked a few times as he continued to stare, first at her and then at what she was studying to paint. He smiled to himself as_ _an idea_ _crossed his mind, before whispering under his breath, “Julia Montague, it’s payback time.”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes she wonders if this man was sent to her as some form of torture; sweet, sweet torture.
> 
> David and his attempt at distraction and two New Year's Eve Balls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Candi! It's done! I hope you like this part as much as the first! I think I covered everything you asked for; maybe a bit more too!
> 
> Thanks to Ally for checking my ramblings and making them make more sense!
> 
> Oh, and I had to change the rating too ...

_ David took another sip of his beer as he considered his plan; she may be claiming she needs all the time she has to complete her artwork. However, he thinks she’s almost finished.  _ _ Afterall,  _ _ the bowl is done and she’d only _ _ just _ _ started on that the night before last. He rolls his eyes. He’s still jealous of a painting. This is what his life has become. Besides, fruit is not as interesting as him, he’s sure of that. Surely, she would prefer another subject matter to study.  _

_ “Julia,” he calls from the kitchen, checking on how much attention she is paying to him. He can see she has changed from gold paint to green now. She’s moved onto the fig leaves  _ _ then _ _. _

_ She raises her head to stare at him  _ _ over the edge of the canvas _ _ , paintbrush still in her hand. “Hmm?” she questions, wrinkling her nose. _

_ “Have you eaten?” he  _ _ asks _ _ , as he gestures back to the kitchen behind him.  _

_ She shakes her head before she admits, pointing towards the fruit bowl, “I did eat one of the apples.”  _

_ David laughs to himself. “And yesterday, when I wanted one of the oranges?” he questions. “You said no-one could disrupt the creative process!”  _

_ She shrugs. “There are  _ _ fewer  _ _ oranges  _ _ than _ _ apples.”  _

_ David smirks back at her.  _

_ “So,” he begins, “can I have an orange now?” _

_ “No,” Julia responds quickly as she dips her brush back into the green paint beside her, turning her attention back to the canvas. “Why don’t you try the fig leaves?” she suggests  _ _ absentmindedly _ _ with a wave of her hand.  _

_ David gave a half smile,  _ _ the corner of his lip tugging upward _ _. He had other ideas for the fig leaves, and they did not involve eating them. “I’m going to make something to eat,” he tells her as he turns away from her and disappears into the alcove in the kitchen.  _

_ He pretends to make sounds that cooking would usually involve,  _ _ as _ _ he collects a saucepan and drops a lid onto it loudly, boils the kettle and then opens the fridge three times. But, there is no response from Julia. He rummages around in the cutlery drawer, running his fingers over the forks and spoons, clanging them together loudly. Still nothing.  _

_ He turns to look at the fig leaves, bunched into groups on the opposite counter. He reaches out for one of them, turns it between his fingers and then with a large smile on his face, tucks the leaf into the back pocket of his jeans. He takes one final sip of his beer,  _ _ closes another drawer loudly _ _ and then stops to listen as the song playing in the other room changes. He smirks,  _ _ as he realises _ _ he actually knows this one. Ella has played it, over and over  _ _ again _ _ and even dragged him to see the movie. It also seems to work with what he is about to do and as the song continues, he waits for the right moment. Painting will be the last thing on her mind in a moment. He slips his hands under the hem of his white t-shirt and pulls it off over his head.  _

_ Julia has just begun to paint one of the leaves where they hang down along the sides of the bowl, and she carefully begins to sketch the outline in green. She has no idea what David is up to, other than sounding like he is  _ _ single-handedly _ _ destroying her kitchen. She smiles to herself as the song changes, she reaches out for the remote and turns the song up, she knows this song well and the movie which it comes from. She had accidentally watched it late one night; she hadn’t been able to sleep and had changed the channel from the news and had found this musical instead. She has watched it numerous times since and has added many of the songs to her playlist,  _ _ much to Ella’s delight and Charlie’s displeasure. _ _ As the song continues, she begins to shuffle her feet to the music and sing along to the lyrics. _ __

**_Impossible comes true, it’s taking over you_ **

**_Oh, this is the greatest show_ **

_ As the last word leaves her lips, David appears  _ _ in the doorway.  _ _ She sees him in her peripheral vision. “This is the greatest show!” he declares as he steps out of the kitchen and saunters, yes, definitely saunters, to just behind the table. She stares at him accusingly as she realises he is now not wearing the white t-shirt he’d been wearing earlier and he is now instead spinning said shirt around with one of his hands.  _

_ He begins to dance, a skill he has shown her before, but a skill she not expected him to have when they’d met, but the man knows how to move, in more ways than one. _

**_Don’t fight it, it’s coming for you, running at ya_ **

_ He sings, his voice low, a devilish smile spreads across his lips as he throws the white shirt across the room and at Julia’s head. She manages to duck, just in time. She doesn’t immediately give him all of her attention, as much as she would like to instantaneously forget about her painting and focus all of her attention on him, she will not give in that easily. She raises an eyebrow towards him.  _

_ “Hilarious,” she begins. “You know if I fail this, it’ll be the first thing I’ve ever failed in my life... and it’ll be all your fault.” _

_ “It’s my fault for many things, isn’t it?” he questions, matching her eyebrow raise as he begins to move his hands down toward the buckle of his belt. He glares at her as he flicks the clasp open and then slowly as if he wants to torture her, removes the belt from each of his belt loops, spinning in a circle as he does so. _

_ Her breath hitches as he stops, his back turned towards her as he slowly removes his jeans, sliding them down as unhurriedly as he possibly can. Sometimes she wonders if this man was sent to her as some form of torture; sweet, sweet torture. She places one hand on her chest,  _ _ determined not to _ _ give in to him, not yet. She closes her eyes for one moment as he is distracted, he seems to be reaching for something on the floor. She takes a deep breath. _

_ “I am supposed to be painting nature... you know, still life. Fruit. And all that. Not a naked man.”  _

_ “I’m not naked, Julia,” he argued. “Not yet, anyway,” he added as he spun himself back at her and began to  _ _ move around _ _ the table, a look of desire on his face and one hand hidden behind his back.  _

_ “David,” she chides, “my teacher is 75 years old. Do you want me to kill her with my final assessment?” _

_ He winks and removes his hand from behind his back, revealing a fig leaf. “That’s why I’ve got this.” He tells her proudly, holding out the leaf towards her.  _

_ “And that will cover everything, will it?” Julia questions as David moves closer. “I told you to eat the fig leaves.” _

_ David smirks again, his eyes dark as he stops just beside her, leaning in towards her ear. “Not what I am hungry for,  _ _ love _ _ ,” he purrs. _

_ Julia feels every nerve in her body prickle with excitement. He  _ _ hasn’t even touched her yet _ _ , but his breath tickles her ear as he pulls away. She raises her hand to her face, not realising she is holding the paintbrush in her fingers until she feels a dollop of paint land on her cheek.  _

_ He laughs at her. “Something the matter, ma’am?” he questions as he turns from her and then mimics her bum wiggling on his way to her bedroom.  _

_ She stands there for a moment, open mouthed, before she drops the paintbrush down beside her and then begins to follow him. She isn’t paying attention as she walks, focused on something else entirely, on  _ someone _ else. She accidentally  _ _ runs into _ _ the not already broken leg of the easel and it collapses to the floor with a loud clatter. She stares down at it for a moment. It will have to wait.  _

_ She can hear him still singing as she enters the bedroom, his back turned to  _ _ her _ _. She sucks in a breath as she realises  _ _ he has continued his movements from the kitchen as he turns to face her again. _

_ “So,” he begins, stepping closer to her. “How did that distraction go?” he questions as he watches her eyes dart from his and then to his lips and then back to his eyes again.  _

_ It is her turn to smirk now as she reaches down and  _ _ grabs _ _ his hips, pulling him closer to her. “Shut up,” she whispers as her eyes grow dark with desire. “Just shut up and kiss me.” _ __

_ He does  _ _ as he’s instructed _ _ , closing the gap between them quickly as his mouth finds hers and he kisses her hard. Standing in the middle of her bedroom, he shuffles her backward until the back of her legs hit the bed frame. _

_ His hands begin to move up the back of her t-shirt, his fingers tickling at the bare skin above the back of her shorts. Their kisses are deep and long and neither of them can  _ _ seem to _ _ catch their breath. Her hands drag along the expanse of muscles along his chest and back, pulling him closer to her. She moans as he sucks her entire bottom lip into his mouth, nipping at it with his teeth. She raises her arms above her head, as their kisses stop momentarily, so he can remove her t-shirt.  _

_ His eyes meet hers and she’s  _ _ sure she’ll  _ _ never be over how the color of his eyes change when he looks at her in moments like this, from a crystal blue to the depths of the ocean. It is the same look, the same hunger, the same eyes that once stared at her from an adjoining hotel room door. “Julia,” he whispers as he kisses her again, before his lips leave hers and gently begin to kiss a path downward, along her jawline, behind one of her ears and down into the space where her neck and collarbone meet. His teeth catch at her skin and she gasps, and he takes this as a sign to repeat the action. She throws her head back and he takes advantage  _ _ of the newly exposed skin _ _ , as she bends her knees backwards and falls down onto the bed behind her.  _ __

_ He smirks at her with surprise as they land in the middle of the duvet, him on top of her before his kisses return to her lips. She moves her hands to try and remove her bra and he reaches to stop her.  _

_ “No,” he tells her, shaking his head. “I’ve been thinking of you in that all day. Leave it on.”  _ __

_ She nods, who is she to argue? Well, actually, she argues a lot. However, right now in this moment, she is more than happy to satisfy his request. She moans, pressed between the  _ _ softness of the  _ _ bed and  _ _ his hard _ _ body. She can feel the weight of him, heavy against her thigh  _ _ and she sighs _ _. Her hands leave  _ _ the muscles of _ _ his back and trail downwards, her fingers slipping underneath the back of his briefs.  _ __

_ He shakes his head again as she moans his name breathily, his fingers moving to the waistband of her shorts. He hooks each of his thumbs under the fabric and lowers them down her legs. He runs his palms  _ _ hotly _ _ over her thighs as his lips find hers again, before he shuffles himself down the bed. _

_ She shivers as his fingers trace her hip bone, followed closely by his lips. His fingers continue to move lower finding the hem of her panties, sliding them down her legs and dropping them to the floor as his fingers seek out the wetness  _ _ between her thighs _ _ that he has caused.  _ _ He grins smugly at her _ _ and she curses as he slips one finger inside her, her eyes closing as pleasure fills her body. Her breath hitches as he adds another finger and uses his thumb to  _ _ insistently _ _ circle her clit.  _

_ “David,” she moans, “please.” She adds the last part with a hoarse whisper, as her breathing quickens, her eyes opening to meet his  _ _ where his chin rests against her thigh _ _. He doesn’t say anything, just winking again, just as he had in her office. “Dav…” she begins warningly, but she cannot get the rest of his name out of her mouth. She moans as his tongue joins his fingers, slowly teasing her in unison. Her fingers tangle in his dark curls, her nails scratching at his scalp.  _

_ She has begun to see stars as David works his magic on her. However, just as she is about to  _ _ be pushed over the edge _ _ , David’s fingers and tongue leave her body simultaneously. She groans in annoyance and just before she begins to voice her  _ _ frustration at her delayed orgasm _ _ , he begins to kiss his way up her legs, over her stomach and around the bra he’d requested she’d keep on.  _

_ She moans again as one lone finger slips over her clit, before, he slowly and teasingly enters her, inch by inch, until he is filling her completely. She reaches out for him, one of her hands clenching tightly around his shoulder, wanting to pull him closer, wanting him deeper inside of her. The other hand reaches out for his hand, intertwining their fingers as he presses her hand back against the soft duvet. Her fingers clench his tightly, as he begins to thrust deeper inside of her, his lips finding hers again, their tongues meeting madly as she moans his name into his mouth.  _

_ He bites her lower lip again, as she feels his fingers tightening around hers. He moves his kisses lower, back down her jawline and into the spot he knows she loves. He places  _ _ open-mouthed _ _ kisses against her collarbone and she sighs in appreciation. His pace begins to quicken  _ _ as she meets him thrust for thrust _ _ and his breathing becomes heavier, as she arches her back and gasps as he nibbles on her neck once more. He chants her name, over and over again, as if she needs reminding of who she is. _

_ Her head lulls backwards, as he thrusts into her, and she can feel that she is close  _ _ as her body begins to tighten from the pleasure he’s creating within her _ _ , as his lips return to hers and he kisses her hard, sucking at her lower lip and biting down.  _ _ He groans as she feels his body begin to shudder and then she feels him release within her. His fingers are gripping hers and her nails are digging into his shoulder, pulling him closer to her, as his other hand rests on the back of her neck. His fingers are in her hair, and she arches her back as she feels his hand slip between them, brushing against her softly, then more insistently as she feels her body begin to shake and her orgasm takes control. She breathes hard, her body shaking, covered in sweat and seeing stars as she relaxes back against the bed, her eyes closed as David settles against her chest. _

-x-x-x-

“You know you owe me a new easel?” Julia questions as she lays on David’s chest, lazily drawing patterns on his side with the tips of two of her fingers. They’ve moved out from under the sheets and are both enjoying their moment of laziness together. Moments like these are few and far between for the two of them, they usually only have a few minutes together each morning before he has to disappear out of her flat and she begins to get ready for the day ahead. This morning is one of the few times she has nowhere to be. There is still a guard stationed outside her door, that never changes. But having nowhere to be means there will be no other PPO coming to knock on her door to disturb her. She’s already got the attention of her favourite, she doesn’t think she needs any more. 

David lifts his head slightly. “Aye,” he says lazily, “was that what fell over last night?” 

Julia laughs as she tilts her head upwards to meet his gaze, “so,” she began, “you heard that did you?” she questions, her eyes narrowing, “I thought you were too busy with your dancing?”

He chuckles and she can feel his laughter ripple next to her ear. “The dancing worked though.” 

“I didn’t even check if my painting survived the fall,” Julia admitted, thinking about all of her hard work for the first time since his slow torture of her last night. 

David laughs. “I’ll help you to ... fix it?” he offered.

Julia shakes her head  quickly in protest.  “You …” she begins, “will stay away from my painting and from fig leaves from now on.” 

He laughs again, before he leans his head down to press his lips to the crown of her head. He also reaches out to brush one of his fingers along the green paint on her cheek. “What if I buy you a new easel for Christmas?” he asks her with a smile. “Can I help then?” 

“That would be a nice present.” Julia replies, “You couldn’t perhaps give it to me early since we won’t be seeing one another on Christmas Day, could you?”

David nods. “Y’know, I did invite you for Christmas...” 

“I can just see it now,” Julia quipped, “I am sure your mother would be thrilled to have me at her dinner table.”

“So,” David questions. “What will you do for Christmas then?” 

“Same as I have done for the last few years, listen to my mother and her sister complain over lunch and then come back here for a few glasses of wine.” Julia admits as David looked at her in concern, “but, there will be one difference this year,” she adds. 

“And that will be?” David questions, raising his eyebrow.

“I’ll probably make a phone call to Scotland. Maybe have a few words with my private dancer, see if I can sneak him away from his family.” Julia joked. 

David nodded, “Aye, I think that could be arranged. I don’t think he would mind that at all.”

“Just make sure you aren’t sharing a room with your cousin again.” Julia reminds him, thinking of the time two months ago he’d gone up to Scotland for his Aunt’s funeral and called her thinking his cousin was asleep. She hadn’t been and David’s skills of diversion had certainlY been tested. 

David groaned, “I’ve requested my own room this year.” He thought it unlikely to happen; given the influx of Budds who descend on his family home every December 25 th . But he could try. “I’ll be back for the New Year though.” He said quietly, they’d never really discussed New Year’s Eve and he’d hoped they would perhaps spend it together.

Julia lifted her head from David’s chest, she wondered if he knew about the Annual Conservative Party Ball and how she was expected to be in attendance all evening. 

**New Year’s Eve – Six Weeks Later**

David stood off to the side of the ballroom, his hands resting by his side as he heard voices speaking in his earpiece. Kim and Tom, plus two other PPOs were located in the green room and were announcing which member of the party was to be announced to the room next. He brushed one of his hands over the sleeve of his white suit jacket. He understood why they couldn’t attend this event together, it was still too soon in their burgeoning relationship and he even understood why she was about to be presented to the stage on the arm of someone else... But it definitely didn’t mean that he had to like it. 

He had first heard of this ball a few weeks ago and it certainly wasn’t the New Year he had planned for the two of them. He would have even preferred to have been sitting on her sofa watching her painting pineapples and her telling him to stop being so distracting. But instead he was here. He didn’t have to be, his boss had offered him the night off, yet he had volunteered to be here. 

He had not seen Julia today. They’d both decided it was a better idea to have Tom collect her and her date from the flat. Julia had explained she couldn’t attend this ‘night of nights’ alone, she’d not attended the year before and neither John nor Roger had let her forget it. So, she had prearranged four months ago to attend with the brother of one of her old boarding school friends. Robert Mitchell. He was an actuary in New York and was back in London for Christmas along with his sister, Jessica. 

Julia had offered for the two of them to meet. She’d had dinner with Robert and Jessica at the beginning of December and had asked him to attend. But he declined politely. The less he saw of Robert the better. It didn’t mean he hadn’t completed a full background check of Mr. Mitchell and had found an old Army buddy who was now a cop in America and asked him to do the same.

Neither of them had found anything of concern. Robert Mitchell had no criminal record. For all intents and purposes, he was a man of good character. He had lived in New York for the better part of ten years and mostly kept himself to himself. He was born to an English mother and American father, forty-six years ago, they had family money and had grown up in the Hampshire countryside before he had gone to university in London. His sister, Jessica, was a similar story; however she had attended boarding school and consequently met Julia and the two of them had become fast friends. Julia did not see Jessica often, as she was a defense attorney in New York, as well. 

Jessica came home to London more often than Robert did, and David remembered Julia exchanging text messages with her from time to time. He’d been relieved when he realised Julia did indeed have some friends in her life. He was always worried that she lived a lonely life; so, it reassured him when he knew that wasn’t always the case. 

Well, he  _ was _ reassured until he’d found out about Robert and that he was going to be Julia’s date for the evening. 

He sighed as he waited for Julia and Robert to appear. Standing waiting for his secret girlfriend to be announced to her fellow party members, along with a man who was probably far more suited to her than he was… was not exactly his idea of a wonderful New Year’s Eve. He brushed his shoulder as Kim’s voice crackled through his ear piece, “Skip?” she questioned; not waiting for him to respond before she continued, “Indigo is next, followed by Lavender.” 

David nodded, “Received.” He replied with as much professionalism as he could muster. Julia was, of course, one of the last to be introduced, Roger and his latest squeeze were already on the dance floor, swaying slowly to a song David didn’t recognise. 

David stared up to the stage as Mike and his wife made their entrance, the two of them were old professionals at this charade. Mike entered the room smiling and waving, then turned to his wife and gave a little bow, before spinning her around as she made a pirouette in her simple but elegant black evening gown. David couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face; Mike and his wife, they seemed to make each other truly happy. Mike was beaming as the two of them joined the rest of the dancing Tories, his face a far cry from the normal scowl he usually wore around the Home Office. 

David turned his attention back to the stage as the emcee made a joke which David missed. There was something about this man David just did not enjoy. He didn’t know if it was his sense of humour or just his personality, but he watched as his lip curled as he introduced Julia to the guests.

“Please welcome the Right Honourable Home Secretary Julia Montague and her  _ friend, _ Mr. Robert Mitchell, of New York City.” 

David’s eyes narrowed, no-one else had been introduced to the gathered guests with such sarcasm and contempt and not one guest had been introduced and then had where they were from stated so plainly. David turned to look at Roger who had a haughty look on his face, as if he was proud of himself. “Dickhead,” David cursed under his breath, he would love nothing more than to go over to Julia’s ex and wipe the look off his face with one fell swoop. But he was just meant to the PPO tonight; not the boyfriend and the job of the PPO was to protect Julia from actual danger. Roger wasn’t danger, well at least not yet. If that changed, David would be there to defend her in seconds. 

The curtain to the side of the stage moved catching David’s attention and he turned his face toward the movement. She appeared first, and he could see a flash of discomfort on her face which she quickly averted with a blink of her eyes. Robert held her arm at the elbow as the two of them made their first steps out. David lost his breath for a moment as he focused on her, she was wearing a grey evening gown. She had clearly ignored the black and white dress code, and he was quite sure it had been on purpose. 

Her shoulders were bare, the dress gathered low on both of her arms, her hair was curled and then pinned loosely behind one of her ears. She walked confidently across the stage, Robert at her side. David turned his attention to him next. He was a tall, broad shouldered man, his hair was greying but he appeared dignified and wore a suit David was pretty sure would cost more than David would have ever spent on clothing; Armani, perhaps. 

He watched as Robert’s hand slid down Julia’s arm and his fingers found hers, interlocking them as the two of them strode across the stage. He observed carefully as Robert whispered something in Julia’s ear and she smiled and then laughed. Robert chuckled as well and then carefully led Julia down onto the dance floor. David watched as the two of them began to dance, he blinked as Robert’s hand found Julia’s waist and the two of them started to sway in time to the song. David realised he’d never disliked a man so much on first look, but seeing Robert and Julia together he felt a gnawing in his stomach. She hadn’t seen him in the crowd yet, so continued to watch her and her date closely. 

A few moments pass and her head tilts to meet his. A smile appears on her face as she sees him, their eyes meet for a moment before Robert spins her in a circle and their eye contact is broken. David restrains himself from going over there so he can be the one dancing with her instead. 

Jealousy or not, this is simply not the time. 

-x-x-x-

There is a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach as she stands waiting with Robert by her side. She won’t deny that it’s nice to have him beside her, and she’s been enjoying being regaled with stories of his and Jess’ Christmas back at home with the Mitchells. Stories of a happy family Christmas with much laughter seems far better than the boredom and complaints of the Christmas Day she endured. The whole day had been a disaster, the only nice part of the day was when she snuck away from after lunch and called David. He had been playing hide and seek with one of his nieces; so it had been perfect timing. She had almost requested her driver to take her to Scotland immediately. But then her mother had sent her aunt to find her and that was the end of that idea. She had then spent the next two hours listening to her aunt complain about her neighbours, the price of milk and how her children refused to see her this year. Julia refrained from telling her aunt she knew exactly why they weren’t going to bother. 

Robert nudges her side as Mike and his wife leave their position in front of them. It means that the pair of them are next; she takes a deep breath, brushes her bare arms and then waits to be introduced. 

She can hear the laughter and clapping for Mike and his wife and Robert reaches out for her arm as the emcee begins to announce her to the gathered crowd. She can hear the sarcasm in his voice and she feels a tremendous amount of embarrassment as the emcee announces Robert as being from New York. She knows who would have given him the speech he is reading from. Roger. 

Robert nudges her once more and she is relieved for his presence once again. She allows herself a second of annoyance before she sighs quietly and then steps onto the stage. Robert holds her arm, before his hand finds hers and they stride across the floor, he leans into her and whispers, “This is all a bit different to the last time you and I attended a ball.” She cannot help but laugh. Robert had taken her to a ball when she and Jessica were ten and he was fourteen. She and Jessica had managed to convince their mothers they’d needed new dresses and their first pair of high heeled shoes. Julia had been fine and had navigated the new way of walking with ease, however, Jessica had not been so graceful. She had fallen trying to avoid a loose stone and reached out for Robert, who in turn reached out for Julia and the three of them had landed in a large puddle. 

“Please don’t let me fall over this time,” she whispers under her breath, as Robert guides her down to where the dancing is taking place. She attempts to stare around the room to see if she can catch a glimpse of David. But she cannot seem to find him. The last time they’d seen one another was late last night, he had kissed her as he had climbed from her bed and then snuck out of her flat to return home. 

Robert guides his hand to her waist and the two of them begin to move in time to the music. She thanks her time at boarding school for her dancing lessons and almost laughs again as she remembers it was Jessica whom she learnt how to dance with. As she and Robert dance they move further to one side of the large room and there from the corner of her eye, she finally catches sight of David.

His hands are by his side as he leans back against the wall, he is wearing a white jacket, accompanied by a black bow tie; Julia has to restrain herself from running over towards him and running her hands over the white material, pulling him close to her and kissing him until she forgets about this whole spectacle she has agreed to be part of once again.

Their eyes meet over Robert’s shoulder and she smiles at David, he smiles back at her and for a second it is just the two of them in the room and no one else seems to matter, until Robert spins her in a circle and their moment is broken. 

Julia sighs to herself and makes a silent promise, this will not be her New Year’s Eve next year.

**New Year's Eve - One Year Later**

_ “Please welcome the Right Honourable Home Secretary Julia Montague and her partner Detective Inspector David Budd.”  _

David squeezes Julia’s fingers in his as the two of them begin to walk across the stage, smiling at the announcement he and Julia have received this year. It is far better than the one she received last year. There is no sarcastic attitude and no declaration as to where he has come from. They’ve already been through that mess. 

Their relationship is now public knowledge. He had resigned from his post as her PPO six weeks before they’d appeared in public together. By the time the press had caught wind of it, he already had a new position working for Anne Sampson’s department. His marriage to Vicky is also over, their divorce finalised three months ago. Ella and Charlie spend  plenty of  time with both him and Vicky, and both of them seem to be thriving. 

They had announced their relationship quite simply. Instead of staying in like they usually did, they had gone out to dinner one Friday evening; somewhere they knew the paparazzi would see them. They had entered the restaurant separately, met at a secluded table at the back of the restaurant, before leaving together hand in hand. Photographers had been there to snap photographs of the latest Hollywood star but had instead caught David and Julia. The plan had worked perfectly; they had been on the cover of most of the newspapers for a few days. But at least it had been on their terms, and not on anyone else’s. 

Therefore, it meant this year he was not standing on the sidelines waiting for her to appear on the arm of someone else. He was the one here holding her hand. He smiled at Kim who had taken up a position at the side of the bar. She winked at him and gave him a thumbs up towards his choice of suit. Julia turned to smile at him as he led her down to the rest of the dancing couples. He moved one hand to the small of her back as she gracefully moved down the steps and they took their place amongst the rest of them. 

-x-x-x- 

Julia stepped carefully off the last step, David at her side. She smiled as the clapping for the two of them had continued as they walked across the stage and made their way down to her fellow party members. The music paused for just a moment before it started once again, David taking the moment to whisper in her ear, “You do look beautiful, Julia.” 

“Thank you,” she whispered back as he reached out to place one hand on the side of her hip, pulling her closer to him. She had prepared herself to have to be the one to lead the dancing, however, David, as he often did, surprised her. He stepped forward in perfect time to the music and stepped to the beat for a few moments, his feet moving around hers impeccably. She stared at him, lifting her brow, “you can do this kind of dancing too?” 

David laughed, “I can. My Granny taught me. She used to ask me to spin her around the room every Easter.” 

Julia smiled at him as she thought of a young David being made to dance, “Spin her around?” she questioned as the beat of the music changed to  something more uptempo. 

David smirked as he let go of Julia’s back and then turned their interlocked hands, Julia laughed as she spun in a circle, the sleeves of her velvet gown spinning around with her. 

“David!” Julia exclaimed as David caught her in his embrace, “I didn’t need an example!” 

“I’ve always been more of a show rather than tell kind of man,” David chuckled, “as you would know.” He added, lowering her voice so she was the only one to hear him. 

Julia smirked as she found herself back in David’s embrace, her head falling against his shoulder, “You know we still have at least three hours until midnight.” 

David kissed the crown of her head, “Aye,” he began, as the emcee announced the PM and his wife next. 

Julia lifted her head from David’s shoulder as the two of them paused their dancing for just a moment and moved to stand beside one another, letting go of each other’s hands so they were able to clap as John and his wife took their turn to be welcomed. There was one difference for him and his introduction. He was required to make a speech. The music paused and John commenced welcoming them all to the evening, thanking them for attending and for the hard work they had all done this year. Julia shuffled from one foot to another, she knew John liked to hear the sound of his own voice, his speeches were often long. 

As the speech finally neared the end David nudged his shoulder into hers, she turned her face towards him and smiled. “You’re supposed to be listening,” she chided, narrowing her eyes. 

David leant in closer towards her. “Next year,” he began, “when it is you up there, making this speech, promise me you won’t talk for so long?”

Julia shook her head, “I don’t think that is a likely scenario.” She responded as John finished his welcome and a polite round of applause filled the ballroom before the music started once more. 

David shook his head back at her, “last year,” he began as he interlocked their fingers and they began to dance once more, “I had to watch you dance with Robert for hours, then I couldn’t even take you home because of that emergency with the Chancellor’s wife.” 

Julia suppressed an eye roll at the memory of her needing to share a car home with Robert, Roger and his date last year. She had been forced to make polite conversation with Roger’s airhead of a date. At least Stephanie, despite her ogling of David earlier, seemed to have a brain inside her head. 

“So,” David continued, as she leant back into his embrace, her head resting near his shoulder again, “you cannot deny how much life can change in 365 days.” 

“True,” she added quietly as her hand resting on his shoulder moved to his back. 

“I’m sorry,” he stated, “did  _ you, _ Julia Montague, just admit that I was right about something?”

Julia poked him in the lower back with one of her fingers. “Don’t act so surprised, I’ve told you you’ve been correct about many things this year.” 

“Name three,” David challenged as they continued to sway around the room.

Julia sighed loudly, pretending to be annoyed. “Do you need them right now?” she questioned.

“Yes,” David purred into her ear. “Immediately.” He added as he commenced drawing patterns on the exposed skin of her back. 

Julia laughed, “Not what I was meaning.” She shivered slightly. “You want me to be the PM by this time next year?” she questioned as she felt David’s head nod against the top of hers. “Then we need to stop dancing so closely.” 

“What?” David asked, “Tories don’t dance?”

Julia giggled. “Well of course they do, but not in such a close proximity.” 

“Bores.” David snorted as the two of them stopped dancing and began to make their way to the bar, their hands still holding one another’s. 

Julia carefully reached for a glass of wine, as David reached for a pint of beer. They turned to one another and clinked the glasses softly. “Cheers,” they said as their eyes met and each of them winked at the other. 

Julia raised the glass to her lips and sipped the wine, as David squeezed her hand in his. 

“These things I’ve been correct about then?” David questioned as he lowered the beer glass from his lips. 

“Mrs. Parker knowing about us long before anyone else did.” Julia stated plainly. David had always had his suspicions about her upstairs neighbour and when the news finally did become public, she had come to visit and told Julia how happy she was for her and relieved that she’d never felt the urge to call the police on the  _ dashing  _ man she had witnessed many times leaving Julia’s flat. 

“Okay, that is one.” David replied smirking. “I need two more.” 

“Your mother not minding my attendance for Christmas.” 

David nodded, Julia had been incredibly nervous about a Budd family celebration, but he had been correct, they’d welcomed her with open arms. She had even found her favourite wine in the fridge, but she had the feeling that was more luck rather than careful consideration. 

David nodded, “I’d told you more than once.” 

“Does that mean we are done here then?”

“Not a chance.” David replied. “You owe me one more.” 

Julia laughed,  rolling her eyes at his eagerness. “Later,” she told him. “I need to make the rounds... did you want to come with me?” 

David shook his head as he saw Kim approaching the two of them, he raised Julia’s hand and kissed one of her knuckles; before releasing her hand, “I think I’ll leave you to your polite conversations.”

“You’re just going to watch then?”

David grinned. “Someone once told me I was very good at watching.” 

Julia began to open her mouth, but was interrupted by Kim. “Ma’am, Skip,” she said as she stopped beside David, he was no longer her Skipper, they no longer even worked in the same department, but still the nickname  had stuck . 

“Happy New Year, Kim,” Julia said with a polite smile, “I am sorry to run off but I must go and see the Chancellor before he cannot remember speaking to me.” 

Both David and Kim smiled, as the two of them watched Julia walk to where the Chancellor was standing. 

“Kim?” David questioned, as he noticed Stephanie beginning to approach.

“Skip?” 

“You couldn’t pretend to be my PPO for a moment and keep that woman away from me?” 

Kim grinned,  looking over at David. “Scared of a girl?” 

David shook his head. “No,” he began. “Scared of what Julia might do if she sees Stephanie over here talking to me.” 

Kim nodded quickly. “Under control,” she replied. “If it is for the Principal then.” She told him as she moved to block Stephanie’s path, diverting her back towards Roger. 

David sighed under his breath as the PM’s wife came to stand beside him, “Mr. Budd,” she said kindly, “it is nice to see you again.” 

“Mrs. Vosler,” David replied politely with a smile. 

“You and Julia must come over for dinner again soon.”

David nodded as the two of them turned their attention to where their respective partners now stood engrossed in a quiet conversation. 

“You’d think they’d be able to leave the country for a few hours.” Mrs. Vosler complained. 

David shook his head as Mrs. Vosler laughed, “Perhaps not.” She admitted as David also laughed. 

-x-x-x-

Julia smiled as she approached David once more, the rest of the evening since they’d been at the bar together had passed quickly. It had all blended into a blur of handshakes and conversations. Before she realised it, it was almost midnight. 

“Hello, you,” Julia whispered as she found David in one of the corners of the ballroom, where he was talking animatedly to the partner of one of the junior ministers, she heard him mention Ella as she stopped beside him. He turned to smile at her, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Are you ready to welcome the new year?” she questioned softly. 

David nodded and ended his conversation about Ella, excusing himself with Julia to the middle of the dance floor. 

The emcee returned to the microphone and he began the countdown to midnight. 

Julia relaxed into David’s embrace once more; his arms wrapping around her waist and holding her tightly. 

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” The emcee counted down. 

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” The gathered guests shouted loudly  as the bell tolled midnight . 

“Happy New Year, love,” David whispered as he pressed his lips to Julia’s. 

“Happy New Year, David,” she replied with a smile, moving her lips away from his for just a moment. 

He smiled back at her, one of his fingers running down the side of her cheek. Julia then leant in close to him and lowered her voice. “You can take me home now,” she whispered lowly, “so you can be right about one more thing this year... Or should that be last year now? Oh, it doesn’t matter.”

David wrinkled his nose and raised an eyebrow  in question. “I believe you told  me,” she purred in his ear, leaning close to him, “ you would have me undressed in seconds.” 

David blinked rapidly, as Julia closed her fingers around his and pulled him towards the exit. 

She took one last look at the members of her party. They were all too busy celebrating the new year, they’d never even notice they were gone.

“Home?” David questioned unable to make any other words come out of his mouth. Julia, she was always surprising him.

Julia nodded as they stepped out into the lobby of the hotel the ball was being held in. “Please,” she said, leaning in for one chaste kiss. She smiled as his hand tightened around hers and they stepped out into the night, where her driver was waiting patiently. 

365 days.

One rotation around the sun.

Life really could change  _ completely _ in one year.


End file.
